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TIME RECORDER Filed June 30, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 l 9 6. 5 l w l l d 22: 2, ,j t 5 W n vweMtoz walwawa Dec. 30, 1930.

Det. 30, v1.930. y J. w. BRYCE 1,786,979

l TIME RECORDER Filed June 30, 1926 2. Sheets-Sheet 2 'Z247 4.5357442 4e a latentecl Dec. 30,y

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JAMEs w. ERYOE, or BLOOMEIELD, NEW JERSEY, vassIcLNOR To INTERNATIONAL TIME RECORDING COMPANY OF NEW YORK, OF ENDICOTT, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK TIME RECORDER Appncation ined :inne 3o, 19.26. seriai No. 119,584.

This invention relates to improvements yin time recorders and directed togeneral iiny provements in that class of recorders known as card recorders. It is primarily concerned with the spring motor drive of the various time controlled units of a recorder and in mechanism which is designed to automatically maintain the motor spring wound during an extended period of time `of continuous usage of a recorder. Hereto'fore, devices designed lto accomplish this purpose have been suggested, but they have embodied the use of such impositive devices as friction clutches which, by reason thereof, may be considered to have fallen short of reaching the present objective. Such impositive devices `by reason of their very nature are objectionable because of the unutilized amount of energy that must be put into them in order to make a friction transmission of energy possible. JAccordingly, it is an object of my invention to provide suitable means by which a workman willV introduce anin'crement of energy into av spring motorl upon every operation of the recorder lever until the spring motor is wound to a predetermined limit, at which limit ythe recorder "leveiwill automatically become uneffective for further rewinding.

A further object resides in providing, in a. mechanism adapted to perform the object primarily stated, an automatic arrangement which will prevent the rewinding operation of 4fthe motor. springs by the recorder lever until the stored energy has dropped below a predetermined flimit. When the stored energyy of the ymotor springs drops to this last named limit, rewinding by the recorder' lever will be rendered again possible. The rewinding connections intermediate the recording lever and the motor springs `are of a positive nature which are adapted to be disassociated automatically when 'the `motor springs have been wound bythe repeated voperations jof the recording lever to a definite limit,which limit may be exceeded through theiinstrumentality of winding'leys. In any event, no rewinding energy may be introduced through the :recording lever before the energy yof the -motor springs lhas dropped to the lowerl-imit.

This feature and others will'be described fully inl the specilication and illustrated in the drawings, in which:

F ig. l is a view of the spring motor and connections as seen from the right side of a time recorder',

`F ig. 1A is a detail of the rewind actuating pawl as seen on line lik-'41A of'Fig. l,

y Fig. 2 is a front elevation on line H--H of Fig. l, y

Fig. 3 is a detail of the controlling mechanism for rendering effective the recording lever for rewinding the motor springs, and

YFig. 4 illustrates the `position ofu the controlling mechanism when the recording lever iswineffective for rewinding of t springs.

Referring to Figs. l and 2, l designates a box frame forming the main support of the entire mechanismand is adapted yto be se4 cured to a wall by means of screws. In the lower portion thereof, there is disposed a ent invention are disclosed herein, and referencemay be had to the application of Clinton E. Larr abee,.ber`ial No. 357e, filed January 20, 1925, for further disclosure. i

The means for driving the recording and clock `mechanisms consists of an independently mounted unit held together by four tie rods 6 andt-wo side plates 7 which are fas'- tened in place to the box frame by screws .8.

Between side plates 7 there is freely mounted shaft 9 upon which are losely mountedy gears l() and ll and spring barrels 12 and 13 fastened respectively to gears l0 and ll. Each spring barrel encloses a spring le wound in opposite directions about shaft 9 with their Iouter ends staked to the barrels and with their inner ends staked to the shaft, Gear is the winding gear and is actuated by pinion on shaft 16 having at its right end lugs for the purpose of alhxing a crank handle, The rotation of shaft 16 in a winding operation in a countcrclockwise direction, Fig. 1, causes a tightening of the right hand spring, Fig. 2, which transmits its tension through shaft 9 lto the left hand spring 14 in barrel 13, this barrel being nearly motionless when gear 1 is actuating the clock. Tilhen the springs are wound, retrograee motion of gear 10 prevented by spring pressed pawl 17, Fig. 1, bearing against ratchet wheel 18 fixed to shaft 16.

1t is advantageous that Ythe spring motor be kept wound at all times and this is accomplished by rewinding it to a slight eX- tent on each operation of the operating lever 19. To the operating lever pivot there is secured an arm 2O swingingly supporting link 21 which connects it with lever The lower end of this lever has pinned thereto,

' so that it can be readily unfastened, a link 2S, one end of which is connected to an arm 24 pivotally supported on shaft 1G. Arm 24 has pivoted thereon a member 25 and ratchet which are fastened together by screw 2? when they have been properly adjusted. This` member and ratchet are free to rotate together about pivot 28 except for the frictional resistance oifered by spring 29 (Fig. 1A) which tends to hold them in the position where they were last left. This position is dependent upon the position of wishhone member 3() pivoted at 31 and having two studs 32, S3 capable of bearing against adjacent flat surfaces on member 25. 1f the wishbone is held in the position shown in Fig. 1 ratchet 26 will actuate ratchet wheel 18 on each operation of the operating lever 19. lilowever, when the springs are sufficiently wound it is desirable to throw out the winding ratchet and this is accomplished by roating Wishbone 30 clockwise about pivot 51 so that stud will force the lower end of member 25 forward.

The position of the Wishbone is under the control of the condition of the spring motor .and this condition is communicated through the snap action mechanism shown in Figs. 3 and This mechanism comprises a slide having ear S5, by which it is supported for sliding move nent on rod 36. At the right hand end of the slide there is, adjustably fastened by two set screws 51, a plate 3T having therein a cam slot 38 for controlling the position of member 30. For this purpose the rear end of men'iber 30 carries a stud to engage within the cam slot. Slide 34 is kept from swinging by means of bracket 40 having a headed stud 41 passing through slots in the slide and cam plate 32".

The slide has two limiting lugs 42, 43, of

sufficient length to be contacted by nut gear 44 in its travel on screw 45 (Fig. 2). Screw is left handed and is on the outer surface of a sleeve which is pinned to shaft 46 and rotates therewith when driven by gear 1l through pinion 47, which is likewise fixed to shaft 46. As the spring motor unwinds, shaft 46 will be rotated counterclockwise (F 1) and nut 44 will travel to the right. in its travel to the right, it will contact lug S and move slide 34 along with it. As slide 34 approaches the approximate middle of its longitudinal travel, wedge-shaped stud 48 will come against the slanting face of pawl 49 and cam the pawl in a clockwise direction against the action of spring 50 until the top of the stud passes the point of the pawl. Atthis instant the restraining force on spring 5U is eliminated and the spring will act to snap the slide to the right (F ig. 3), with the result that cam slot 38 raises the rear end of Wishbone member 3() and stud 32 thereon rocks member 25 and ratchet 26 counterclockwise to the position shown in Fig. 1.

In this position, ratchet wheel 18 will be actuated on every depression of operating lever 19, and gear 10 will be advanced in the direction of the arrow to wind the spring motor. As the spring motor is gradually rewound, gear 10 will rotate nut 44 counterclockwise and cause it to travel to the left on the nearly non-rotating screw 45. Nut 44 will contact stud 42 and carry slide 34 lo the left, as shown in Fig. 3, to the position where pawl 49 will be displaced to its maximum extent and then suddenly snap the slide to the left, seen in Fig. 4. This snap action causes ratchet 26 to be suddenly disengaged from contact with ratchet wheel 18 and thus throw out the step-by-step automatic rewind of the operating lever 19.

The, liseugagemejnt .is obtained through the lowering of the :car end of Wishbone niemher El() when stud 39 is camnied downr-Jardlj: thus causing member 25 to be positioned in its non-functioning position as yde- .feribed above. Set screws 51 are provided to adj ust the timing relation between the snap action and ratchet positioning.

Power from the spring motor is distributed to the clock and recorder mechanisms by means of gear 11 and through the intervention of pinion 52 and gea-r 53, both fixed to shaft 54 (Fig. 1). Gear 53 meshes directly with pinion 55 on shaft 56 which also carries beveled gear 57 fixed thereto. Beveled gear 5? meshes with another beveled gear 58 on the lower end of short shaft 59. This short shaft is mounted in a bracket 60 fastened to the left hand plate 7 and carries at its upper end a universal. socket 61 for the reception of the lower end of a universal shaft 62. This connection is readily severed as is also the connection between lever 22 and link 23 in order that the entire spring motor mechanism can be removed as a unit.

Shaft 62 is driven in a clockwise direction as seen from above, and its upper end rotates a short shaft (not shown) which is connected to shaft 62 in such a manner as to bear the same relation to shaft 62 as. short shaft 59 bears to shaft 62. Shaft 62 transmits energy from the motor springs to the clock mechanism and time controlling mechanism which in turn controls the operation of the various instruiiientalities of a time recorder. Shaft 63 is driven from the time controlling mechanism through shaft 64 and gear 65 on shaft 63.

Fixed to the forward end of shaft 63 is a gear 66 which concurrently drives, through shaft 67, the time indicating mechanism, generally designated as 68, and type wheels of the recorder assembly, generally designated as 69. The details of these assembly units may be of any Well known type.

I claim:

1. In a recording apparatus, the combination comprising a manipulative member, a. spring motor, means for storing energy in said spring motor upon actuation of said manipulative member, said means includingV a ratchet and ratchet wheel, means for positioning said ratchet to engage or not engage said ratchet wheel, and means controlled by said spring motor for controlling the operation of said last named means.

2. In a recording apparatus, the combination comprising a manipulative member,a spring motor including a plurality of barrels and a plurality of springs secured to said barrels, a gear secured to each of said barrels, means actuated by said manipulative member to rotate one of said barrels through its gear and to energize said spring motor, and means controlled by said last named barrel to render said means ineffective for winding said spring motor beyond a predetermined limit.

3. In a recording apparatus, the combination comprising a manipulative member, a spring motor, a plurality of barrels, a plurality of springs secured to said barrels, means actuated by said manipulative member to rotate one of said barrels and to energize said spring motor, and means controlled by another of said barrels to render said means effective to wind said spring motor.

l. In a recording apparatus, the combination comprising a manipulative member, a spring motor comprising a plurality of barrels and a plurality Vof springs secured to said barrels, .means actuated by said manipulative member for energizing said spring motor through one of the barrels, a screw rotated by said spring motor through another barrel as energy of said spring motor is being utilized, a gear nut threaded upon said screw, a gear on the first mentioned barrel for rotating said nut, and means controlled to render said first named means ineffective when said' spring motor has been wound to a predetermined limit.

5. In a recording apparatus, thercoinbina- Y tion comprising a manipulative member, a spring motoi, a ratchet and ratchet'wheel, connections intermediate said ratchet and said manipulative member, means for positioning said ratchet for engaging said ratchet wheel, ra Winding gear for said spring motor, and means .controlled by said winding gear for positioning said iirst named means so as to prevent said ratchet fromV engaging said ratchet wheel whereby Vactuation of said manipulative'member will be ineective to operate said winding gear. y

6. In a recording apparatus, the combination comprising a manipulative member, `a spring motor, a ratchet and ratchet wheel, connections intermediate said ratchet and said manipulative member, means for positioning said ratchet for Vdisengaging said ratchet wheel, a windinggear for said spring motor, a gear operated by saidspring motor, and means controlled by said gear for posi'- tioning saidfirst named means so as to cause said ratchet to engagesaid ratchet wheel whereby actuation of said manipulative member will be eifective to operate said winding gear.

7. In a recording apparatus having type wheels and a spring motor for driving the saine, the combination comprising a manipulative means for rewinding said spring motor on each operation thereof, positive connections intermediate said manipulative means and said spring motor including a ratchet and ratchet-wheel, and means to automatically prevent said ratchet from en-. gaging said ratchet wheel when said spring lmotor has been wound to a predetermined limit.

8. In a recording apparatus, the combination of spring driven means, a spring inotor having a plurality of springs and a plurality of barrels, each barrel being fastened to a spring and the springs being operatively secured together at their ends which are remote from the barrel spring fastenings, agear mounted upon one of said barrels for transmitting energy from said spring motor to said spring driven means, a second gear mounted upon another of said'barrels, actuating means for rotating said second gear whenenergy is being introduced into said spring motor, and means controlled by said first mentioned gear for rendering said actuating means ineffective.

9. In a recording apparatus, the combination of spring driven means, a spring mo# tor having a plurality of springs and a plu- 'lil O rality of barrels, each barrel being fastened to a spring and the springs being operatively secured together at their ends Which are remote from the barrel spring fastenings, agear mounted upon one of said barrels `tor transmitting energy from said spring motor to said spring driven means, a second gear mounted upon another of said barrels, actuating means for rotating said second gear when energy is being introduced into said spring motor, and means controlled by both oit' said gears for controlling the engagement of said actuating means.

l0. In a recording apparatus, the combination of spring driven means, a spring 1notor having a plurality of springs and a plurality of barrels, each barrel being -fastened to a spring and the springs being operatively secured together at their ends Which are remote from the barrel spring fastenings, a gear mounted upon one of said barrels for transmitting energy from said springl motor to said spring driven means, a second gear mounted upon another of said barrels, actuating means for rotating said second gear when energy isbeing introduced into said spring motor, and means controlled by said second named gear for disengaging said actuating means.

In testimony whereof I hereto aix my sigl nature.

JAMES WV. BRYCE. 

